Millions of people around the world enjoy swimming and other water sports and activities. Although many people enjoy the water, man is limited in his ability to fully enjoy the water because man is an air breathing animal. When submerged in water, man cannot breathe and thus his time submerged in the water is limited. In order to stay submerged for more than a minute or two, some type of underwater breathing equipment or apparatus is required.
For individuals, one type of underwater breathing apparatus is a snorkel, which is basically a tube, one end of which the swimmer or diver inserts into his mouth and the other end of which extends above the surface of the water so that the person may breathe in air while his face is submerged. This type of device extends the amount of time that a person may spend submerged. It is quite apparent that a snorkel is only useful when the swimmer or diver is close to the surface of the water since the depth to which he can submerge is limited by the length of the snorkel tube. The snorkel is still useful however for allowing a driver to swim beneath the surface of the water to any depth and then return near the surface of the water so that the snorkel once again extends above the surface of the water to take in a fresh supply of air. In this manner, the diver may keep his body submerged at all times while breathing in fresh air periodically.
Another type of underwater breathing apparatus is what is known as scuba gear. Unlike a snorkel, scuba gear includes an air supply which is typically stored in a tank which is worn around the swimmer's body. Since the air holding tank is worn on the swimmer's body it interferes with the mobility of the swimmer and is thus not always the most desirable piece of equipment. This is especially true where the depths to which the swimmer will dive are shallow so that a snorkel can be used. The snorkel is less obtrusive to the swimming activity than is the scuba gear.
Both snorkels and scuba gear are used by the swimmer for breathing. U.S. Pat. No. 46,902 which issued to J. Hawkins on Mar. 21, 1865 for Improved Submarine Safety Mouthpiece, U.S. Pat. No. 2,975,439 which issued to W. Bentley on Mar. 21, 1961 for Toy Scubas, U.S. Pat. No. 3,370,586 which issued to R. J. Aragonal et al on Feb. 27, 1968 for Underwater Breathing Device With Valved Float, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,061,140 which issued to M. Saito on Dec. 6, 1977 for Underwater Breathing Device, illustrate snorkel and scuba devices which contain a mouth piece which the diver inserts into his mouth to breathe through. The mouthpiece has one tube connected thereto through which air is inhaled and another tube connected thereto through which air is exhaled.
All of the breathing devices also seem to have in common the fact that moisture will tend to accumulate inside the mouthpiece and inside the tubes or water will enter through the tubes whenever the diver submerges the tubes below the surface of the water. While the tubes are not open for water to enter in scuba gear, moisture is still a by-product of breathing and the air in the tanks may contain some moisture which may accumulate and pose a problem. It is also possible for the mouthpiece to become dislodged from the mouth during swimming allowing water to enter. Also, water can enter through the mouth around the mouthpiece. So it is quite possible that moisture will be a problem.
Typically, the water accumulation problem has been approached by providing some sort of valve system in which there is a oneway valve connected with the inlet tube and another one-way valve connected with the outlet tube. The valves operate so that the inlet valve opens when it is desired to inhale air with the outlet valve remaining closed. When it is desired to exhale, the outlet valve opens allowing exhaled air to escape while the inlet valve remains closed. The inlet valve opens allowing air in but not allowing air out, while the outlet valve opens allowing air out but not allowing air in. Even with the valving system, when the snorkel tube becomes submerged water may leak through the valves and become a problem.
The water is usually removed by blowing through the mouthpiece which forces water out through the outlet valve. However, the prior art valves are often both located adjacent the mouthpiece, allowing the inlet tube to fill with water. Thus, water will remain in the breathing apparatus and will be drawn into the mouthpiece region when the diver inhales. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that it would be highly desirable to provide an underwater breathing apparatus which allows a swimmer to breathe while submerged while discouraging the entrance of water into the breathing apparatus but providing means for discharging any water that does enter.